Budget Pro Tip: Oversave Your Purchases

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Don’t buy something unless you have the money in your pocket. That simple sentence is great advice, meant to keep a person from overspending. But having the money to buy something after sacrificing and saving, even after all your bills are paid, may not be sufficient. Personally, I like to oversave large purchases. My wife wanted to order some products online that amounted to a significant amount of money. Knowing we have more discretionary funds in the second half of the month, she asked if it would be better to wait until our middle of the month paycheck. She was […] Read more »

5 Steps To Avoid Overpaying For Your New Appliance

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The microwave made a horrible loud buzzing noise, and when the time reached zero the food inside was still cold. My over the range microwave was broken, and not worth fixing. It was time to get a new one. Before going shopping, I needed to research microwaves and know exactly what I wanted. Because if I didn’t know what I wanted, a salesperson would likely talk me into buying a model with more features than I’d use, costing more than I wanted to spend. New microwaves have more bells and whistles than I expected. I knew there were different sizes […] Read more »

5 Things I Don’t Mind Spending Money On

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Achieving your ultimate financial goals requires you to be selective in how you spend your hard earned money. Being a wasteful or frivolous spender leaves less money in your pocket to put towards eventual financial freedom. But being wise with your money doesn’t mean living in a cardboard box and subsisting on bread and water – it simply means executing selective spending. Spend your hard earned cash on things that matter to you. Here’s a list of 5 things I don’t mind pulling my wallet out for: Expensive Groceries USDA Prime rated steak, lobster tail, crab legs and beef tenderloin […] Read more »

What Is The Most Inexpensive Way To Break Into Your House?

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We came home from an afternoon out with friends to realize we were locked out of our home. I hadn’t taken my keys with me since our neighbors were driving, and our daughter locked the door on her way out. Normally none of this would be a problem as we’d just open the garage door with the keyless entry pad, but we had unplugged the opener for a party in the garage the night before. We stared at the door for a few moments and wondered, “What is the most inexpensive way to break into your house?” Call A Locksmith […] Read more »

Grillin’ And Chillin’ Summer Series: Bratwurst Hot Tub

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It’s officially summer, EOD Nation, and that means it’s time for BBQ.  Over the next couple of months I’ll be periodically be sharing some of my favorite summer recipes to help you be the king of the backyard BBQ in your neighborhood! It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of lighting up the grill or smoker and cooking up some delicious food using a live fire. BBQ, like many hobbies, is something a person can always learn new things. There is always a new recipe to try, or a new technique to learn. While I have no problem lighting a […] Read more »

Keep Workin’ Your Moneyplan Like Biz Markie

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This weekend I had a connecting flight in Baltimore. On the way to my gate I saw Biz Markie getting ready to board a flight to New Orleans. I checked his Twitter feed and found he would be performing in Baton Rouge that night. If you don’t know who Biz Markie is then just search YouTube for “Just A Friend”. Yeah, now you remember. What amazes me is that he hasn’t changed a bit. I would know, I saw him perform live at the Rosemont Theater back in the late 1980’s. How does a rapper who hasn’t released an album […] Read more »

What I Learned From Running The 2014 Twin Cities Marathon

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I sprang out of bed at the chime of my cell phone alarm at 4:30am yesterday. I quietly got ready for the day, gathered my things, and quietly closed the hotel room door behind me as to not disturb my sleeping family. I headed downstairs to the lobby to meet some friends and to walk over to the light rail station that would take us to the start line. In just a few short hours I would be lining up with over 11,000 other runners to run the Twin Cities Marathon. It would be my 4th time, and I had […] Read more »

Paying Off Debt Will ROCK My Marriage

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“Should we stop and get the ladies flowers?” suggested the friend I was car pooling with as we pulled into town. The beaming smile on her face told me that Vonnie was very appreciative of the bouquet of flowers I brought her after being out of town for a few days. Relationships are hard work. You need to show your love and appreciation on a daily basis, as well as put their needs before your own. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. These are things I do willingly and joyfully without even thinking about them. When you love someone, […] Read more »

Inexpensive but Awesome Dessert Using Philadephia Cream Cheese!

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Summer potluck cookouts are a favorite activity in our neighborhood. There are two people that are legendary for bringing mouth-watering desserts that everyone looks forward to being the last taste to linger in their mouths as they walk home. But I’ve got a recipe that could change all that and make me the undisputed king of desserts. I’m about to unleash the scrumptiousness of my strawberry cheese pie made with Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It’s a simple recipe that only requires a few ingredients: 9 inch Graham Cracker Crust 8oz package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese 1 Cup Powdered Sugar 1 Cup […] Read more »

I Know a Secret About Kohls….

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Our son needed new dress clothes for his confirmation last weekend, so it was timely that we received a 30% off coupon in the mail from Kohls.  I usually don’t get excited about their coupons because they show up in my mailbox fairly often.  So frequently, in fact,  that I would never buy anything at Kohls unless I had a 30% off coupon in my hand. It should be fairly obvious that the regular price of their merchandise is simply over priced. With mailing in hand, we headed to Kohls to see what they had. On the shopping list for […] Read more »

I’m NOT Paying More Than You Quoted Me!

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Saturday was a day that my daughter has been looking forward to all school year. It was picture day for her dance class, and Tori and two of her closest friends were very excited to finally put on this year’s dance recital costume.  In the past we have made this day a special event by getting her hair done, and letting her put on a little bit of makeup. Most years we’ve paid to have her hair done, but the price to do that can be quite expensive even for a young girl. Vonnie had called around to get the […] Read more »

Cable TV Is Cheap Entertainment

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Our cable company has been advertising new packages and lower prices, so this weekend Vonnie and I stopped into the nearby office to investigate our options, and see if we could lower our bill. Thirty minutes later we walked out the door having been upgraded to their new gold package that includes 4 DVRs, almost every channel they have, and a broadband speed double what we had previously. AND a lower bill. Driving home with the new DVRs in the trunk, I thought about our decision and wondered if we had made the right choice.  The TV portion of our […] Read more »

Can You Replace a Lost Receipt Using A Rewards Card?

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I hate clutter. Our kitchen counter seems to be a magnet for store ads, receipts and returned assignments  the kids brought home from school.  Every day I sort through a pile of paper to determine which need to be kept, and which can be tossed. With a motto of “when it doubt, throw it out,” you can imagine that occasionally I would get rid of something that we actually need. My son celebrated a birthday in January, and the only thing he wanted was a set of decent headphones to replace the low quality ones that came with his recently […] Read more »

Make 2013 Debt Free…Join the Debt Movement

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Did you ever wonder why New Year’s resolutions never last? Each year as I resolve to quit all the bad habits I developed over the previous year, I always do. But if you take the right approach to a resolution such as “getting out of debt”, there’s no reason you can’t be successful. If you’ve been working to get out of debt with little success and need a kick start, consider joining the Debt Movement! We all need a little help from time to time whether it’s a debt relief plan that makes the process easier, a nudge in the […] Read more »